Winter Sowing challenge
I was motivated by so many of you to start the WS challenge. Here are the photos. I’ll be taking them outside shortly and will post photos of them there soon.
334 reads | 6 comments | Continue reading »

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2515 posts in 607 days
Location: Rockwood, Ontario, near Guelph
Hardiness Zone: 5a
Website:
I am a retired teacher with over 30 years of successful teaching ( math, drama, and teaching of the gifted student) , and now have been working in the jewellery business for the past 10 years, with a few brief stints of travel in between. For the past 37 plus years I have lived in Rockwood, ON and enjoyed working a lovely perennial garden.
Several years ago, we moved to a new freehold luxury townhome situated above the river. We love it here, with a protected mixed wood stand between us and the river, although I can usually see the river between the trees. There are trillium and natural orchids growing in this bush, as well as trails that wind for miles along the river. Beautiful.
My biggest challenge has been the creation of new gardens...poor soil, great light, hilly landscape, treed area behind the house, rabbits, deer, and raccoons galore,... In the last few years, I moved about a ton of rock to form the bones of the garden. Then we moved a good number of peony plants, and interesting garden structures to compliment the landscape.
We get the east, south and west light.
There are also some restrictions for the front of the house, but I’m willing to try to bend the rules a little. I have brugmansias out front, and along the back of the house. The beds at the back are varied. Some are tropical, others are like an English border garden disappearing into the woods below. There is so much stuff there, there is hardly any room for weeds, and that suites me just fine....less work to do.
This past year, I moved my fish pond into a raised bed structure with the pond and fountain in the middle into which I put water lilies. The gurgling water makes a relaxing sound for us when we are outside. We get a great view of it when we sit in front of the outdoor fireplace with the dahlia hedge on each side of the fireplace.
-- jroot
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I was motivated by so many of you to start the WS challenge. Here are the photos. I’ll be taking them outside shortly and will post photos of them there soon.
334 reads | 6 comments | Continue reading »
We are expecting major frost this weekend, so don’t be tempted to plant yet, here in southern Ontario. Frost is expected tonight ( Saturday May 16), Sunday, Monday and again on Tuesday. What a way to celebrate the long weekend. :(
636 reads | 21 comments | Continue reading »
My wife and I went to Canada Blooms earlier this week. We were somewhat disappointed with it, one more time, and decided that it really doesn’t stimulate us the way it certainly did in the early years. They were spectacular. There seemed ...
505 reads | 14 comments | Continue reading »
I am wondering if anyone has any special techniques to keep the squirrels at bay. They are eating me out of bird feed and hopefully not my tulips. I did set up a scarecrow around the tulips beds at the back. Remember Pond Man. He is now Ski ...
691 reads | 21 comments | Continue reading »
Okay, all you gnome and fairy lovers, here is something you should check out. http://www.enchantedtreehousemovie.com/
483 reads | 8 comments | Continue reading »
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22 comments so far
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
6839 posts in 977 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 607 days ago
ooh that sounds so beautiful!!!
(beautiful picture as well)
Looking forward to hearing/seeing all about your gardens.
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan
GrandmaT
home | projects | blog
5299 posts in 855 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 607 days ago
Hello and WELCOME to GT!!!
Your place and gardens sound lovely. When you have a moment, would love to see photos!! :-)
-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5
dini
home | projects | blog
1422 posts in 693 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 607 days ago
Welcome! Your gardens sound lovely!
-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.
jroot
home | projects | blog
2515 posts in 607 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 605 days ago
Thanks, guys. Much appreciated.
-- jroot
Jason
home | projects | blog
840 posts in 830 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 605 days ago
Hey, welcome to GT, jroot! You’ve got a lot of great ideas and even better execution!
-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit
Bon
home | projects | blog
4025 posts in 757 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 605 days ago
Hi Jroot welcome to Gt. Looking forward to seeing your gardens. :-)
-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more
jroot
home | projects | blog
2515 posts in 607 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 604 days ago
Thanks for the “heads up” about the competition. .... and your vote of confidence. Wow! I’m elated.
-- jroot
Eklectic
home | projects | blog
1789 posts in 777 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 596 days ago
jroot,
you mentioned on another post that your wife is an artist!!
What medium? What does she do? Do you have a blog or a site for her work?
-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a
jroot
home | projects | blog
2515 posts in 607 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 596 days ago
She is a dry brush watercolour specialist, and is also working in oil. Both of these take a long time. We do not have a blog or site for her. Most of her work in the past few years has been commissions based on word of mouth, and from art shows. She is a member of the Guelph Creative Arts Association. It takes her a long time to paint one painting because of her style, and since nearly all her works have been sold and she has no large stock build-up, there is no need for a blog. Thanks for asking though.
Right now she is working on a large painting of some of my brugmansias. That has been for several months. I keep suggesting that she use larger brushes, but she likes her itsy bitsy small ones for detail.
-- jroot
GrandmaT
home | projects | blog
5299 posts in 855 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 596 days ago
Oh jroot I would love to see that painting when she is done … be nice if you could take a few photos for us.
Truly, I am in total awe of artists. Can’t draw anything to save my life (really tried, long story and most know that I really flunked elementaryand middle school art classes – LOL!!!) At the private school I worked at the art teacher was a fabulous artist in her own right. She did magnificient portrait work in oils. Over the years we became good friends and one year, as a gift, she had me take several photos of our children and she created a very large pencil sketch from the best photo. It is so life-like of our children at that time. It hangs with honor and much love on our prominent living room wall.
-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5
Eklectic
home | projects | blog
1789 posts in 777 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 596 days ago
Maybe you have some pics of her work! Sounds really interesting!
My mother used to (and still does a little bit) paint both watercolor and oil! She also did enamel on copper: paintings and all sorts of things!
So, I would really appreciate a picture of some of her work, but if it is not possible, it will be my loss I am sure!
-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a
jroot
home | projects | blog
2515 posts in 607 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 593 days ago
Well, Eklectic, the avator is painted by her. She gave me that portrait, so I feel that it is okay to show that one. The others are her property, and she keeps tight control of that. I’m sure you understand.
Anyway, here I am. This is a watercolour using a dry brush technique.
The photo doesn’t do it justice, unfortunately.
-- jroot
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
6839 posts in 977 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 592 days ago
oh my goodness.
it looks like a photograph it is so real!!
Magnificent work.
I am in awe.
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan
SonyaJ
home | projects | blog
8 posts in 511 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 507 days ago
Hey jroot: I posted this on my spot . Eventually, I will figure this blogging stuff out.
-- Sonya J
plantbuddy
home | projects | blog
17 posts in 379 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 354 days ago
Hi jroot, I did the same as SonyaJ…so travel on over to my page for reply, thanks.
PlantBuddy.
-- PlantBuddy
Profenceworks
home | projects | blog
13 posts in 78 days
posted 78 days ago
I have loved checking out your projects! You’re a pretty amazing guy.
-- http://www.profenceworks.com http://www.productionfenceworks.com
jroot
home | projects | blog
2515 posts in 607 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 78 days ago
Thanks. I appreciate the vote of confidence.
Nice fences you build. A good fence builds good neighbours.
The portrait disappeared. Here it is, again.

Photobucket has been doing some reorganizing. I’m not sure if it is for the better.
-- jroot
Robin
home | projects | blog
1086 posts in 239 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 75 days ago
Your wife is extremely talented, please tell her so.
-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi
Robin
home | projects | blog
1086 posts in 239 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 63 days ago
Jroot, what ages/subjects did you teach?
-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi
jroot
home | projects | blog
2515 posts in 607 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 62 days ago
Actually, I taught ages 12, 13, 14 year olds. Lots of fun, – especially when the “hornymones” kicked in. LOL
I have a specialist qualifications in the teaching of the gifted students, and but also specialized in teaching math and drama. Computer studies was also an interest in which I took upgrade courses. Ying & Yang anyone?
My wife is a fine art specialist and graduate of an honours Fine Arts degree from the university of Toronto. Yes, indeed, she is very talented.
You should meet our son …. LOL
-- jroot
StarrsWife
home | projects | blog
34 posts in 61 days
hardiness zone 7
posted 54 days ago
Your wife is VERY talented, and I too am in awe, as I cannot draw a proper stick figure, lol but I do have a VERY green thumb, so I am happy!
-- Jessica~ Oklahoma zone 7 “A genius always presents himself as a fool” ~Anon.
LadyPantheress
home | projects | blog
43 posts in 35 days
hardiness zone 7
posted 25 days ago
The German Potato Salad is very good. I like this recipe better than the dish you you buy at the Oktoberfest.
Thank you for checking out my recipe post.
Hugs
Brightest Blessings
LP
-- ~ Harm None ~